A Spot On The Map
by CupOfTeaCakes
Summary: Two Italian sisters move to a town called St. Helens to work as maids. A new place leads to meeting new people, including a certain Spaniard and German. AU, different pairings, but mostly Spain x Fem!Romano and Germany x Fem!Italy.
1. Enter The Italians

It was a beautiful day, a few fluffy clouds speckled the blue sky as the sun shone bright and warm. A train travelled at a steady pace through picturesque countryside, green fields on which cows were grazing and shadowy forests full of wild animals that scattered away as the carriages clattered past.

"Sorella, what was the name of the town again?" a pretty girl with short reddish-brown hair and innocent brown eyes, wearing a maid's dress, asked.

"St. Helen's. Now try to remember it, will you?" the girl's older sister snapped at her and resumed to gaze out of the carriage window. She too was wearing a maid's dress and had short brown hair, though her locks were darker. Apart from that, her eyes also differed from her sister's. Although brown, they lacked the innocence and cheeriness, her eyes were colder, more alert and watchful. The two Italians shared one, rather peculiar detail in their looks. Both girls had a curl of hair that certainly caught one's eye. That one curl stood out of line stubbornly, but still seemed somehow natural.

The train clattered on for an hour or so and then slowed down, stopping at St. Helen's. The older girl nudged her sister, and the two grabbed their small bags. Stepping outside, they met a completely different scene than the one they left from. People hurrying off and on to the train, others waving goodbyes or greetings, dogs running around. The station building was far bigger that the one they left from. It was painted a nice shade of blue, and seemed very new. The younger girl stopped to look in awe, but was soon pulled on by her more impatient sister.

"Come on! We haven't got all day!" she exclaimed irritatedly, trying to find a calm spot in the bustle of the crowd.

"Marietta? How are we going to find the right house?" the younger girl asked sounding very frightened all of a sudden. She had realized how big this town actually was, far bigger than their little village back in Italy.

"We'll ask the way, thickhead!" Marietta snapped, immediately grabbing the arm of a passerby.

"Excuse me, but where can we find the Kirkland residence?" she asked bossily. The bushy-haired woman they had stopped looked at the two girls pityingly and gave them directions.

"Take that road over there, first junction on the main street. Walk till you reach the second crossroad. Turn left and on that road you will find the house you are looking for. It's big and yellow, you can't miss it. Good luck!" and with that, the woman hurried off.

"Grazie!" the younger sister called after her, but Marietta was already pulling her on.

"Come on, Ilaria!"

The two girls walked, Ilaria looking at the houses, shops, a café and a lot of different buildings on the streets, Marietta walking determinedly onwards. When they reached the crossroad the woman had been talking about, they only needed to look left to spot the house. It was big and yellow, just as said. The nationalities of the residents needed no guessing, as the British and the U.S.A flags were fluttering on flagpoles in the yard. The yard was clearly overgrown, bushes here and there and rather peculiar looking flowers littering the brownish grass. The house seemed like it could have once been a fine mansion, but now the balcony on the second floor looked like it could crash down any moment and the paint was peeling off the walls. Vine had conquered most of the front of the house, and without doubt, the situation was same on the other sides as well. One of the windows was broken, and a telltale baseball bat was lying on the ground not far away. An angry woman's voice could be heard shouting inside.

Reluctantly the girls walked to the door, Ilaria shaking and holding tightly onto her sister's hand. Marietta knocked on the faded green door sharply, and the door was soon flung open.

"Ah! Hello! You must be our new maid!" a blonde, plump and motherly looking woman greeted cheerfully, smiling ear to ear.

"Yes, I am Marietta Vargas, and this is my sister Ilaria Vargas." Marietta introduced them, perhaps a little annoyment in her voice.

"There are two of you? I thought we hired only one girl. You see, we don't have enough room to accommodate more than one." The woman chattered, sounding rather confused.

"Your house seems big enough." Marietta snorted. She was already annoyed, the woman hadn't even introduced herself. Her sister was shaking worse than ever now that it seemed she didn't have a job or a place to stay.

"Well, we do have five sons, and the kitchen and washroom take most of the first floor." The woman muttered.

"But I can't go back to Italy! I can't go back to mama and papa without any money!" Ilaria cried out on the verge of tears.

"Ilaria! Stop that! And who are you, anyway?" Marietta grumbled at the woman. She wished they would just be through with this and that Ilaria would quit being such a crybaby.

"Oh, I am Mary Kirkland! And don't worry darling, we'll solve this problem!" Mrs. Kirkland smiled again, annoying Marietta even more.

"Arthur! Arthur!" the woman yelled inside the house, and soon enough a young man with blonde hair and huge eyebrows appeared at the door.

"Yes mother?" he asked a little irritatedly, as if he had just been interrupted while doing something important.

"You know the Héderváry daughter, don't you? I hear their maid left last week. Is that true?" Mrs. Kirkland asked her son.

"She's just in my class! I don't know her! And anyway, everybody knows their maid ran off with the bloke from the grocer's! Is that all?" Arthur huffed. He couldn't imagine why his mother always thought he knew everything and everyone.

"Ah! Perfect! Arthur, please greet our new maid!" Mrs. Kirkland nodded towards Marietta. The Italian nodded curtly, and Arthur bowed a little.

"Marietta Vargas."

"Arthur Kirkland, pleased to meet you." and with that the boy dashed off.

* * *

A/N: Oh, finally got to publish this. The plot has been whirring round my head for weeks. I hope you like it!


	2. A New Home

"Marietta, I shall leave one of my dear boys to show you your room while I go and find a place for your sister to stay! It won't take long!" the blonde woman smiled again and called for her sons. In a moment, two blonde boys, both wearing glasses, appeared by their mother's side.

"Al, Mattie, please show miss Marietta Vargas her room. She's our new maid!"

"Sure thing, mom! A hero is always ready to help a beautiful maiden!" the boy with the shorter hair said cheerily, saluting his mother. Mrs. Kirkland gently took Ilaria's hand.

"And you, darling, are coming with me!"

The younger Italian was still trembling as she looked back at her sister, but then obediently followed Mrs. Kirkland, who was already walking away.

"So you're Marietta, huh?" I'm Alfred and this is my twin Matthew. You can call us Al and Mattie." The boy with the shorter hair introduced himself and his brother.

"As you say, Mr. Alfred." Marietta gritted her teeth in annoyance, but managed to stay polite. She hoped the rest of the family wouldn't be like the mother and Alfred. Arthur had seemed well-mannered, but she had only seen him for a few minutes. And there were two boys more, not forgetting the father. She feared her job was going to be pure torture.

"Aw, don't be so formal! But let's show you your room, eh, Mattie?" Alfred chattered as his brother nodded looking rather apologetic. Matthew seemed very quiet, almost ghostlike compared to his energetic twin. The boys beckoned Marietta to follow them, and went inside. She stepped through the door, trying her best not to listen to Alfred's continuous chatter. The interior of the house was as messy as the outside. All sorts of things, papers, bags and shoes were scattered everywhere. Marietta wondered how the walls were free of the muddy prints on the floors, but decided it was fine, since it meant she had less to clean. The rug in the hallway was all crumpled and books littered the narrow space. The twins had already found their way through while Marietta was still dodging teetering piles of books. When she had survived the maze, the boys were waiting for her at an open door.

"Here's your room, Marietta!" That door over there leads to the bathroom!" Alfred smiled, showing all his white teeth.

"Thank you Mr. Alfred and Mr. … Matthew." Marietta nodded, almost forgetting Matthew's name, and hurried into the room, closing the door. She set down her bag, took a deep breath and sat on her bed. It was surprisingly soft, and she decided to investigate the bathroom. She walked to the door Alfred had indicated, and opened it to find a neat, clean little bathroom. Maybe this wasn't so bad after all. A private bathroom and a soft bed. She returned to lay on her bed, and let out a content sigh. Although she felt rather exhausted after meeting just half of the family, Marietta was pleased. Things could be worse. All of a sudden, she remembered her sister. Hoping she would get a place to stay, Marietta drifted off to sleep.

* * *

A/N: Terribly sorry for this being so short. This was originally part of the first chapter, but I messed up and uploaded a version I hadn't finished typing yet, and noticed it yesterday. My apologies, the next one will be longer.

And a great big thank you to everybody who has read this, and a big hug to all who favourited or alert-thingyed this. Ah, and Allied Forces, thank you! I searched for the names, and I thought these would suit them very well :3 Ilaria means _joyful, happy_ and Marietta means _little rebel_.


	3. A New Enviroment

Ilaria felt extremely nervous as she was standing at the doorstep next to Mrs. Kirkland. The neighborhood they now were in was very different from the one in which the Kirklands lived. The houses were neat, as if they had just been renovated, and it would have been impossible to find an overgrown garden. Rosebushes, flowerbeds, everything seemed to be under strict control. The house which they had come to was at the end of the street. The bricks it was made of were beautiful shades of red, and the door and windowpanes had been painted white. A brass knocker in the shape of a lion's head was fastened to the door with two screws. For some reason Mrs. Kirkland preferred the doorbell. After a while the door was opened by a woman who looked very dignified and just as neat and tidy as her house. Ilaria was reminded of the countess back in Italy, with her beautiful clothes and hairdos.

"Good day, Mrs. Kirkland. What is it?" the woman asked and nodded curtly, now looking at Ilaria.

"Hi, Eszti!" the woman called Eszti flinched at the use of her first name, "This is Ilaria Vargas."

Ilaria curtsied as the woman politely nodded and introduced herself.

"Good day. I am Eszti Héderváry, pleased to meet you."

Mrs. Kirkland explained the problem to Mrs. Héderváry, somehow managing to make it sound far more tragic than it actually was.

"And so I came to ask, If you could take her." she finished, looking pleadingly at Mrs. Héderváry. She seemed to be thinking and examining Ilaria.

"Oh well, I hope you are a hard worker." she sighed, "Come in, I will show you your room."

"Yes, Mrs. Héderváry!" Ilaria nodded and followed the Hungarian woman inside. The house was as neat on the inside as it was on the outside. The walls were white and the floors made of wooden planks. The furniture was rather fancy antique-style, and there were quite a lot of paintings on the walls. Mrs. Héderváry pointed out the bathroom, kitchen and dining room, and then led Ilaria into a small corridor, stopping at the door on the right.

"This is your room. You will begin work tomorrow. Be in the kitchen at eight o´clock. Is that clear?" Mrs. Héderváry finished the tour, smiling faintly.

"Yes, Mrs. Héderváry!" Ilaria bowed and entered her room. It was small, with a bed and a small chest of drawers and a mirror. Her sheets were neatly folded on the bed, and she decided to finish the job. After she had made her bed, she arranged her few belongings into the drawers, and sat on her bed. She felt extremely happy now that everything seemed to be fine again, with no worries about getting a job. Then she heard the door slam. She decided it was just somebody coming home, and got up from the bed and opened the upper drawer. She fished out a photograph of two laughing little girls, a smiling brunette and a grinning man who looked like he'd just been working on some field.

"Mama, papa, everything's fine now. Me and Marietta have jobs now." Ilaria whispered in Italian. She lay the photograph on the drawer and sat back on her bed. She closed her eyes, just for a moment, and as she opened them, a girl seemed to have appeared out of nowhere in front of her.

"Hello! So you're our new maid! I'm Elizaveta, what's you name?" the girl greeted energetically. She was relatively pretty with long brown hair and brown eyes. She had a pink flower in her hair and she was wearing a summery light green dress.

"H-hello, Miss Elizaveta. I-I'm Ilaria Vargas..." Ilaria mumbled, feeling very shy at the moment.

"What a cute name! Where are you from?" Elizaveta continued.

"Th-thank you. I am from Italy, Miss Elizaveta" Ilaria answered a little more confident now.

"Oh! Italy's a nice place! We were there on holiday with the Beilschmidts last summer! Do you mind if I sit here? And please call me Eliza. Father wants me to treat servants like they used to when he was young, but I'd rather be your friend." Elizaveta smiled and sat down as Ilaria nodded. She noticed the photograph.

"Is this you family? You have a sister?" she asked, still smiling at Ilaria.

"Yes. This is mama, papa, me and Marietta, my sister." Ilaria pointed out all the people in the picture.

"You have a beautiful mother. Is Marietta your twin? Is she working as a maid too?" Elizaveta inquired.

"No, she's my big sister. And she's working for the Kirkland's."

"Oh! One of the Kirklands is in my class. Hey, how old are you? You look very young."

"I'm fifteen."

"Oh, I'm sixteen. Are you hungry?" Elizaveta asked, smiling brightly.

"Well... Yes..." Ilaria mumbled. She hadn't eaten anything for ages, but she thought it would be impolite to ask for food. Elizaveta grabbed her hand and got up from the bed.

"Let's go eat something! Mother, father and brother left to eat out, but I like eating at home in the kitchen. Father thinks it's not lady-like." the Hungarian girl chattered happily, as she led Ilaria into the kitchen, where a grey-haired woman was smiling and cooking. She wore a blue apron that had numerous pockets and a dark blue old-fashioned dress.

"Well well well! Young missus disobeying your father again? And pray tell me who your pretty companion is!" the woman smiled warmly at the two girls, still cooking, stirring something in a pot.

"This is Ilaria Vargas! She's our new maid!" Elizaveta introduced Ilaria. The woman reached to shake Ilaria's hand.

"Hello! I am Mrs. Costa, and I guess you'll be working with me quite a lot!" Mrs. Costa smiled at Ilaria and then returned to her cooking. "This will take a while still."

Then someone knocked on the door. This time the brass knocker was used, and quite forcefully so.

"We'll go see who it is!" Elizaveta said, grabbing Ilaria's hand again. The marched to the door. Elizaveta opened the door to find a young man with silvery hair and bright red eyes standing on the doorstep with a bouquet of flowers in his hand.

"Evening, my dear lady!" he said, and bowed in a ridiculously fancy manner.

"Gilbert? What are you doing here?" Elizaveta exclaimed, clearly not pleased with her visitor.

"I have come to propose to you, my beauty!" Gilbert announced and handed the flowers to Elizaveta.

"Thank you for the flowers, but a definite no to the proposal." Elizaveta said and reached for the door.

"Hey! You can't refuse my awesome proposal again?" and then Gilbert noticed Ilaria, "Wait, who's the cutie behind you?"

Elizaveta snorted.

"That's why I don't want you! Always going for every girl you clap eyes on! And she's our new maid." and with that, Elizaveta slammed the door closed. She sighed and walked back into the kitchen with the flowers.

"Who was it?" Mrs. Costa asked, already guessing the answer.

"Gilbert! He's impossible!" Elizaveta answered and then turned to a very confused Ilaria.

"He was Gilbert Beilschmidt. I mentioned the Beilschmidts earlier. My father is very good friends with Mr. Beilschmidt, so we see them quite a lot. They have two sons, Gilbert and Ludwig. Gilbert is the older one, and I believe Ludwig is the same age as you. Gilbert is very annoying, he uses the word awesome far too much, and for some reason he wants to marry me! He just doesn't know how to give up!" Elizaveta huffed the last sentences, and then turned her attention back to the flowers. She took a nice little vase and placed them in it.

"He did bring nice flowers, though."

"Dinner is ready!" Mrs. Costa said, and she had already laid the kitchen table for them.

Ilaria didn't know what the food was called and she didn't think it was important to know just now. It was some sort of stew that smelled delicious and tasted even better. She wolfed it down as neatly as she could.

"Do you like it?" Mrs. Costa asked, smiling at Ilaria, "You must have been hungry!"

"Yes! It was very good, thank you!" Ilaria thanked, smiling from ear to ear. She didn't feel so alone now and she felt that she had already made two friends, though she didn't feel so comfortable about Elizaveta, as she was technically one of her employers, and she had been taught that maids weren't supposed to befriend the people they worked for.

"Ilaria, it's getting late and you look tired. Maybe you'd better get some sleep?" Mrs. Costa suggested, now washing the dishes. Ilaria glanced out of the window. It was already dark, street lamps illuminating the street and a little of the gardens.

"Good night!" Ilaria said, smiling happily. "I'll be here at eight o'clock then!"

"Good night! See you tomorrow!" Elizaveta said and left the kitchen.

"Ah, yes! You can help me with the breakfast! Sleep well!" Mrs. Costa said, putting the dishes to dry.

Ilaria walked to her room, admiring the paintings of boats, shores and flowers on the walls. She pulled her nightdress out of the drawer and changed into it. Before slipping under the covers she prayed shortly for the wellbeing of her parents, Mrs. Costa and Elizaveta, and most importantly, Marietta. She soon fell to sleep, tired of the long journey.

* * *

A/N: Finally. This took me ages to write. But here it is. I hope it's good enough :3 And thank you for all the reviews and such, you warm my heart. I hope my choice of Ilaria's emplyers didn't come as a dissapointment to anyone...


	4. Encounters

Ilaria woke up at half past seven. Not until now had she noted the little clock on the drawer, and now thanked her mother for teaching her how to tell the time. She got out of bed and changed into her green dress. Tying the laces of her apron she rummaged her memory for the location of the bathroom. Quietly she crept out of her room and into the bathroom.

Eight o'clock sharp Ilaria was standing at the kitchen door.

"Good morning!" Mrs. Costa greeted. She was already working and seemed to be looking for something. Before Ilaria had time to answer she got her first assignment.

"Could you please set the table? Plates, glasses, knives, forks, spoons and egg-cups are all in the cabinet in the dining room."

Ilaria entered the dining room. It was a big rectangular room, furnished in the same antique style as the rest of the house. In the middle stood a long wooden table covered with a white tablecloth, and Ilaria counted all together twelve chairs on either side. Exactly on the middle of the table stood a large ornate candelabra. The cabinet was on the other end of the room. As Ilaria opened it she found an incredible amount of dishes. She stopped to admire for a moment, until she remembered she had work to do. The girl set the table as she has been told, taking care not to make very much noise or wrinkle the tablecloth. After she had finished her task she returned to the kitchen.

"Did you finish setting the table?" Mrs. Costa asked, and Ilaria nodded.

"Do you think you could boil the eggs?"

"Yes Mrs. Costa." Ilaria answered. She was happy to help with the cooking, since she had always helped her mother in the kitchen. She loved to cook, just as much as her sister loved tomatoes. Ilaria placed five eggs into a pot and ran water into it until the eggs were covered. Then she placed the pot onto the stove, careful not to break the eggs and let them boil for eight minutes. She placed the eggs into cold water to stop their cooking. By the time she was finished it was already fifteen to nine.

"Well, it's time to take the food to the table!" Mrs. Costa announced. Ilaria helped her take the food, and then they went back to the kitchen to eat their breakfast.

"Ilaria, I seem to have forgotten to buy certain items and I was wondering, if you could go to the supermarket for me?" Mrs. Costa requested, taking a sip of her coffee. Ilaria nodded, still munching her sandwich.

"Good! I'll write a list of what we need!" Mrs. Costa said and reached for a pen and a piece of paper. She scribbled a short list consisting mostly of food ingredients and then got up to get some money. Meanwhile, Ilaria finished eating her breakfast and then tidied away their dishes. As she was beginning to wash them, Mrs. Costa returned.

"This should be enough. The supermarket is close to the railway station. You'll find it." Mrs. Costa instructed and gave Ilaria the list and the money. Ilaria nodded, put the money and list into her apron pocket and went to put on her shoes. As she left the house, she closed the door as quietly as she could.

The street was quiet, and Ilaria suspected that everyone was inside enjoying breakfast. Then again, it was already fifteen to ten, but she didn't really think about it. When she was passing a beautiful wooden house, she heard a voice.

"Hey! Stop there!"

Ilaria turned around to find Gilbert running towards her from one of the houses she had already passed.

"You're that maid, right? What's your name?" Gilbert asked as he reached the puzzled Ilaria.

"I-I'm Ilaria Vargas, Mr. Gilbert." She mumbled.

"Ok. Now, could you deliver an awesome message to beautiful Elizaveta for me? Here goes: The awesome Gilbert won't give up until he's married to you, pretty Elizaveta. Got all that?" Gilbert spoke, grabbing Ilaria's arms to keep her still. After he had finished, Ilaria nodded.

"Yes, Mr. Gilbert."

"OK! Well, thanks a bunch. See you!" and with that, Gilbert dashed back to his house. For a moment Ilaria just stood there, possibly a little confused. Then she continued her journey, trying hard not to forget the message.

*6*6*6*

Sunday shifts at the supermarket were the most boring of all. Even late-night shifts were better. But he didn't mind working every other Sunday, since they paid him double for that. No, he was rather pleased to make money and get away from his annoying older brother. And since customers were rare, he had plenty of time to arrange items on the shelves into perfect order. He smoothed back his blonde hair and was just about to start arranging packets of coffee into neat rows when someone bumped into him.

"Ah! I'm terribly sorry! I was looking for honey and I wasn't looking at where I was going and…" Ilaria mumbled apologies, blushing and looking at her feet, embarrassed of running into someone like she had.

"It's ok. I could show you where the honey is."

Ilaria looked up. She had bumped into a tall young man with blue eyes and blonde hair that was neatly smoothed back. He seemed very serious, and Ilaria felt a little nervous.

"Ye-yes please…" she mumbled and looked at her feet again.

"Follow me." The boy said and walked to a shelf not far off with Ilaria trailing behind. All the while he racked his brains, trying to remember if he had seen the girl before. He came to the conclusion that he had not.

"Thank you!" Ilaria thanked and searched the shelf for the right kind of honey. She found it, took a huge jar into her hands and walked off to find the rest of the items on her list, leaving the boy to stand by the shelf, staring after her.

For some reason he felt the need to know who this mysterious girl was. Working at the only supermarket in town, he knew he had seen almost everyone who lived in St. Helen's. He decided to go and wait for the girl to check out. As he was currently the only worker in the supermarket on this particular Sunday, he arranged shelves and was the cashier at the same time. It wasn't very difficult, as Sundays were very quiet.

It didn't take too long for Ilaria to find everything she needed. Soon she was placing her shopping onto the conveyor. As she looked up, she realized that sitting behind the counter was the same boy that had helped her.

"Hello! I don't think I greeted you yet!" Ilaria said cheerfully, smiling like she always did.

"Hello." The boy greeted, doing something that made a funny beeping sound to the items Ilaria was buying. She had never been to a real supermarket before, so it puzzled her a bit, but she thought it must be normal in bigger shops than the markets back in Italy.

"That would be 10,45 Euros." The boy said, shaking Ilaria from her thoughts. She took out the money she had been given, and then blushed a little.

"Um… Could you help me a little? I'm not familiar with this money… I mean, which of these are the smaller ones and which are the bigger ones?" Ilaria mumbled, looking at her feet again.

"You mean which are cents and which are Euros? The coins with one or two on them are Euros, and so are the notes. The rest of the coins are cents. I can count it for you if you want." The boy explained, offering to help Ilaria. She nodded and handed the money to the boy. He counted the right amount of money and handed the change back to Ilaria.

"Thank you! Um… What's your name?" Ilaria asked.

"Oh, my name is Ludwig Beilschmidt."

"Is Gilbert your brother?" Ilaria asked, before Ludwig had time to ask her name.

"How do you know Gilbert?" Ludwig asked, surprised.

"He proposed to Miss Elizaveta yesterday." Ilaria smiled, "But I'll head back now! Thank you for helping me!"

Ludwig watched the girl dash off. He had been so surprised of the connection between the girl and his brother, that he had forgotten to ask her name. He made a mental note to ask Gilbert later, and went back to arrange the shelves.

*6*6*6*

Marietta didn't understand the Kirklands at all. They didn't treat maids like they should have, not at all! She had a huge room and a bathroom all to herself, she was allowed to call them all by their first name, no need for Mr. and Mrs., and to top it all off, she ate with the family! Didn't they know maids were supposed to eat in the kitchen? And to add more, since it was Sunday, she didn't have to work! At least they went to church.

She had now met the whole family. Mr. Kirkland was a plump blonde man with a toothy grin not unlike Alfred's, and the air of a car-salesman. Then there was the eldest son, Cidro, a smiling young man with dreadlocks and tanned skin, who had been adopted from Cuba. Marietta hated his habit of smoking cigarettes. The youngest son of the family came late for dinner, but, to Marietta's horror, wasn't scolded for it. The ten-year old Peter seemed very mischievous, wearing a grin on his face. Marietta made a note never to sit next to him, as the boy somehow managed to slip a fart-cushion on Arthur's seat during dinner. Peter wore a sailor's suit and hat which he never seemed to take off.

Even after meeting the whole family, Marietta felt like she was going to have a tough time holding her temper. With the exceptions of Cidro and Matthew, the Kirklands seemed a very noisy and obnoxious bunch.

Because Sunday now was free time for her, Marietta was walking around in the overgrown garden, hoping that she wouldn't have to tend to it, when Arthur and the twins came out of the house. Mrs. Kirkland leaned out of a window, and Marietta heard her shout.

"Take Marietta with you boys!"

Marietta had no time to wonder where she was going to be taken, as Alfred already yelped at her.

"Hey! Come to the marketplace with us!"

The Italian sighed, but decided to accept, as she had nothing better to do. She walked over to the boys, dodging what she supposed was a flowerbed. The group set off, Alfred chattering about this and that, Arthur telling him to shut up every now and then.

It wasn't a very long walk, but to Marietta it felt like ages. Arthur had failed to make Alfred shut up, Matthew didn't even seem to be listening, and as a maid, Marietta couldn't just tell Alfred to be quiet. All she could do was wish she could just block out the ceaseless chatter.

Finally they reached the marketplace. There were stalls selling almost anything you could wish for. Most of them sold food and ingredients, but there were stalls with toys, kitchen utensils and model-kits.

Systematically they went from stall to stall, buying things on the list Mrs. Kirkland had given them, and soon they were missing only the vegetables. Quite many stalls sold what they were looking for, and now the boys were pondering on which to choose. Marietta sourly noted that tomatoes weren't on the list. Then she heard someone shout.

"Tomatoes! Delicious tomatoes! All the best vegetables!"

The boys still seemed to have a hard time deciding where to go, so Marietta decided to go and take a look at the delicious tomatoes.

The tomatoes did look delicious, as did everything else in the stall. The vegetables were colourful and there were quite a lot of them. Marietta realized that she didn't have any money, but she still looked longingly at the tomatoes.

"Hey pretty little lady! You want some tomatoes?" the salesman asked. Marietta glanced grumpily at him. He had a bright smile, bright green eyes and curly brown hair.

"No! An I'm not a pretty little lady!" Marietta snapped and glared at the young man. To her disappointment, his smile didn't falter one bit.

"Well, would you want something else then, beautiful girl?" he asked.

"I'm not buying anything! And quit flattering me!" Marietta snapped again and turned her back to the stall just in time to see Arthur, Alfred and Matthew coming towards her.

"There you are, Marietta! We thought we lost you!" Alfred called, and to Marietta's dismay, the annoying salesman seemed to know her companions.

"Hey Arthur! How's it going with Kiku?" he called to Arthur, who went red in the face and grumbled something like 'shut up'.

"We could buy our veggies off you, Antonio!" Alfred said cheerily.

"Sure! I was trying to sell some of these delicious tomatoes to this charming beauty, but she didn't want to buy anything!" Antonio chattered, still smiling.

"She's our new maid, Marietta. She's from Italy." Alfred introduced Marietta, while Arthur and Matthew picked what they needed to buy. Antonio reached for a tomato.

"Welcome to St. Helen's. Care to have a taste?" Antonio smiled and offered the tomato to Marietta. Still glaring at the boy, she took the tomato and bit into it. It was delicious, just as Antonio had said.

"Tasty, isn't it?" he asked.

"Shut up." Marietta growled and ate the tomato. Antonio laughed, and turned to Alfred.

"She's a feisty one, isn't she?"

"Well, she's not one of the politest people I know." Arthur said, and handed Antonio the vegetables they were going to buy.

"Ah, no tomatoes? Oh well, 5 Euros, please!" Antonio said, smiling as if he had no worries of what so ever.

"Not this time." Arthur answered, handed Antonio the money ant took the bag of vegetables. They were about to leave, when Antonio thrust a bag containing tomatoes towards Marietta.

"Free tomatoes for pretty girls today!" he said, smiling widely.

"Why would I want your crappy tomatoes?" Marietta shrieked.

"Aww~ Come on! I know you'll like them!"

"Fine!" Marietta snapped and grabbed the bag.

"Thanks for shopping here!" Antonio called after them, as they weaved their way through the marketplace.

*6*6*6*

It was evening, and Marietta lay on her bed. She had continued exploring the yard after they had returned from the market, though she had first thrown the tomatoes into her room. She was now eating one, and made a mental note never to tell Antonio how much she liked them. Antonio. He was annoying! All the way home Alfred had talked about Antonio, asking Marietta if she found him attractive. After a while, Marietta had snapped at him to shut up. She did not find Antonio attractive, not at all! She decided to save a couple of tomatoes and go to sleep.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the long pause! I've just started high-school, and right before that I was at the 8 day Finnjamboree. Anyway, here is the fourth chapter. I hope you like it :3


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